Harald Küppers (1928-2021) was a German chemist and physicist, known for his contributions in the field of quantum chemistry, particularly in the study of molecular structure and chemical interactions. He is especially recognized for his research in the field of spectroscopy and the theory of atoms and molecules.
© Marc Strohfeldt
Küppers has worked on developing theoretical methods to better understand chemical processes at the molecular level, and has been a pioneer in combining quantum physics with chemistry. Throughout his career, he has been a professor at various universities and institutions, influencing the training of new generations of scientists.
Although he has worked in various aspects of physics and chemistry, his research on the fundamental aspects of molecular structure and the dynamics of chemical reactions has been one of his main areas of focus.
Like Newton and Ostwald, Harald Küppers developed his theory of colour from the perspective of science and physiology (light, space and perception). Therefore, Küppers states that “colour is nothing more than a mere perception of the visual sense organ of the beholder” (Küppers. Fundamentals of colour theory, 1978:8), distancing himself from any psychosocial component of colour.
Küppers refutes the definition of "colour stimulus", posing it as an effect produced by luminosity, a variable derived from physics. Thus, light rays are not colours but stimulate the organ to perceive a sensation of colour. According to Küppers, colour is relative, since it is directly conditioned by the light that the body/object is receiving. Since light is almost never homogeneous, we speak of the distinction of spectral sectors. As the spectral sector of the light changes, the spectral sector of the body receiving the light will also change.
In a similar way to Ostwald, he defines the three primary colours as violet-blue, red and green, from which eight elementary colours degenerate: cyan-blue, violet-blue, red-orange, red-magenta, green, yellow, white and black. These are represented in a hexagonal prism and he defines it as the Law of Integrative Mixture, combining additive and subtractive mixing in the same prism. This system of codes determines an infinite number of colour nuances. Küppers states: “There are as many sensations as quantitative possibilities of variation of primary colours. Theoretically, these possibilities are infinite.” Similarly, Küppers argues that the changing factor of colours is conditioned by the heterogeneous colour sensations found in the environment, generating different colour stimuli.
Since 1981, Küppers has put his theories on colour into practice through design and painting, holding two exhibitions of his personal work. In December 1985 he held a small exhibition in Hanover at the Galla Gallery in Amsterdam, and in In 1987, as an artist and designer, he attended a fair in Frankfurt with the Interstoff Gallery.
